21
21. Couplers installed.
After fitting the underframe, add the couplers. It is easier to do
this before the body is attached to the underframe. Be sure to
allow for the thickness of the car body’s end if it overlaps the
underframe.
I use Kadee scale head whisker couplers with a short shank. I
cut off a small portion of the center sill between the bolster
and the end to make my coupler box fit. You can also see the
styrene spacer at the end [21]. I drilled mounting holes for the
trucks at the same time as the holes for the couplers. Make
sure the truck screw holes are exactly centered on the bolster.
TIP:
An easy way to center the truck holes is to lightly scribe
with the back of a hobby knife crosswise from corner to corner,
making an X. This gives you the center as a point to drill. Mark
the center with a pin, and away you go. The scribe lines are not
seen when done, and they don’t interfere with the operation
of the truck.
